Veterinary medicine has advanced quite a bit over the past 10 to 15 years.  Today, it is common to have specialized procedures performed on pets such as cataract surgery, chemotherapy, CT or MRI scans, endoscopic procedures, echocardiograms, ultrasound, specialized orthopedic surgeries, etc.  Board certified specialists are becoming more available in all aspects of veterinary medicine including internal medicine, diagnostic imaging, ophthalmology, dermatology, cardiology, oncology, and emergency medicine.

With all of the advanced techniques and specialties available, pet insurance has now become cost effective to own.  Here are a few points that you need to keep in mind regarding pet insurance:

1. Pet insurance is not pet health insurance.  Pet insurance is more like property insurance.  The policy is renewed on an annual basis and it does not cover pre-existing diseases when you initially sign up.  Think of pet insurance as more of a forced savings plan.
2. Pet insurance does not always pay 100% of a veterinary bill.
3. Depending on the type of coverage that you choose, some policies may cover routine procedures such as wellness exams and vaccines while others may cover only "catastrophic" events.
4. Some pet insurance companies will cover you only at certain veterinary practices while other companies will allow you to see whom you please including specialists.
5. Most policies only cover dogs and cats but some are available to cover birds as well.

Because of the many variations in pet insurance policies, we recommend that you contact your veterinarian for more information regarding this important topic.

References:

The Doctors at New Berlin Animal Hospital